It is one of the classic 'rock and hard place' conundrums of the design world: how do you re-invent an icon?
And that's especially difficult in the case of the Volkswagen Beetle, because visual cues are all you have to work with.
The third-generation Beetle is mechanically about as different from Ferdinand Porsche's original as it is possible to be and still have four wheels, with a front-mounted, water-cooled, transverse four driving the front wheels, while the original had a rear-mounted, air-cooled flat four driving the rear wheels
Porsche drew up the 'People's Car' the year after Hitler came to power, in 1934. The world has changed beyond recognition since then - in fact, the only other shape that has remained unchanged since before the Second World War is the Coke bottle.
But most importantly, the brief for the first Beetle was that it should be affordable - that every German family should have one. Twenty-first century Beetles are expensive 'boutique' cars, along with the Mini and Fiat 500.
So, how do you tie the two together, to give the new Beetle the benefit of more than half a century of iconicness?
According to VW design guru Walter de Silva, with one line - the rear section of the roof and the C pillar. If you stand an original Beetle and the latest version - released in South Africa this week - together and illuminate their profiles, the rear half is almost identical. The front is longer, lower and wider, with a far more steeply inclined windshield, but the smoothly radiused roofline that extends all the way to the rear bumper is true to Porsche's mid-thirties masterstroke.
The roofline is actually 12mm lower at 1486mm than that of the second-generation beetle, introduced in 1997, more like the 2005 Ragster concept, and the new Beetle is substantially longer (152mm, to be exact) at 4278mm.
The bonnet is longer, the windshield has been moved back and the car is 84mm wider than its predecessor at 1808mm overall, giving it wider track - 63mm extra in front, 49mm at the rear.
NEW EQUIPMENT LINES
The third-generation Beetle comes to South Africa in two new equipment lines, 'Design' and 'Sport'.
You notice the difference first on the fascia panel of the dashboard, which is finished in body colour on Design models and in carbon-fibre on Sport versions.
Either way, there's an extra glove compartment, just like on the original Beetle, with its lid opening upwards, above the conventional glove-box, while the optional auxiliary instrument cluster above the centre stack lends another retro touch.
A 22mm longer wheelbase provides room for four adults, while the boot lid (which includes the rear window) opens wide to swallow 310 litres of luggage (an increase of more than 30 percent) expanding to 905 with the rear seats folded.
The Sport variant has leather seats, the Designer comes with fabric upholstery.
Also available, at extra cost, are a panoramic tilt/slide sunroof, a premium Fender sound system, and keyless access and starting via a transponder fob that lives in your pocket or handbag (and that's a first for a Beetle).
Denis Droppa, editor of our sister publication Star Motoring, was at the SA media launch.
“Apart from the coloured dash panels,” he says, “the Beetle's interior is restrained and businesslike in the best VW tradition, with the styling and switchgear all very Golf-like.
“There's noticeably more rear legroom than before, although it's still adequate rather than particularly spacious.
“Gone is the former Beetle's dashboard-mounted flower vase, and another feature of the cabin is that the dashboard doesn't extend as far into the car as the previous Beetle's, making the driver sit closer to the windscreen and feeling more connected with the road. It's part of why it's become a better driver's car.”
STYLING
The Beetle is now the only Volkswagen with round headlights. Bi-xenon headlights are available as an option, including daytime running lights comprising 15 LEDs arranged along the outer border of each headlight housing.
The Design has body-coloured door handles and side guard strips with chromed insets, while the trim under the side windows is anodised aluminium.
The Sport has black door mirror housings like the Golf R and Scirocco R, side guard strips with chrome accents, a chromed strip in the air inlet screen and anodised aluminium trim strips.
A rear spoiler, black on top and body colour underneath, is standard on the Sport Version.
MOTORVATION
The Design comes with a 1.2 TSI turbopetrol engine, mated to a six-speed manaual gearbox, for which VW quotes 77kW at 5000rpm and 175Nm from as low as 1550revs, for a 0-100km/h sprint in 10.9 seconds and a top speed of 180km/h, at a cost of just 5.9 litres per 100km and 137g/km of CO2.
The 1.4 Sport, however, has 1.4-litre four with supercharger and turbocharger that's good for a claimed 118kW at 5800 revs and 240Nm from 1500rpm, taking it to 100km/h in 8.3 seconds and on to 208.
Standard issue is a six-speed 'box, but the 1.4 is also available with a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission - for which Volkswagen quotes 6.2 litres per 100km and 143g/km, compared to 6.6 litres per 100km and 153g/km on the manual.
“Fears that the 1.2 might feel underpowered proved unfounded when I drove it at the launch,” says Droppa. “Outputs of 77kW and 175Nm are never going to feel sporty but neither does the car leave you with unsatisfied power cravings.
“It's a nippy about-town runner and cruises easily on open roads, and the advantage of the turbocharger is that this Beetle won't get all limp-wristed at high altitude.
“The 1.4 version offers much livelier performance, approaching sporty realms, and comes standard with an XDS electronic differential lock to further improve handling by reducing understeer.
“Overseas there's also a high performance 147kW TSi version but it's not destined for South Africa.”
RUNNING GEAR
The third-generation Beetle is based on the Golf 6 platform - albeit shortened by 50mm - with electromechanical power steering and MacPherson-type strut suspension at the front, and a newly developed, lightweight rear suspension with an anti-sway bar.
The Design variant runs on 16” 10-spoked 'Whirl' alloy rims, while the Sport cones with 17” five-spoked 'Spin' rims. 18” 'Twister' rims are available for the Sport.
When the optional ParkPilot is ordered, the owner gets a display on the screen of the radio/CD or radio-navigation system that shows a top view of the Beetle depicting potential obstacles in front of and behind the car, as well as an acoustic warning: an intermittent tone increases in frequency as the car approaches the obstacle, eventually becoming a continuous tone, just before “parking by braille” takes over.
PRICES
1.2 TSI 77kW Design - R235 400
1.4 TSI 118kW Sport - R296 600
1.4 TSI 118kW Sport DSG - R311 100
The new Beetle comes standard with a three-year or 120 000km warranty and a five year or 60 000km maintenance plan. Service intervals are 15 000km.
Read Denis Droppa's full launch report in Star Motoring on Thursday.